After a defeat and two draws in the league, United hit winning form on Tuesday with an emphatic 5-1 Co-Op Cup success at Cowdenbeath.

While that pleased the centre-half, he is eager to record a first league win and sort out the goals against column.

“Getting the first league win is massive and, hopefully, it will come against Kilmarnock. But we have to start getting clean sheets again as well,” he said.

“We played well at Cowden on Tuesday and then gave away a sloppy goal. We were 4-0 up and did not need to be attacking the way we were — we left ourselves short at the back and it cost us.

“If you are going to do that then that’s probably the time, but we still want to learn from our mistake and get clean sheets.

“That’s what we did regularly last season and it was a big part of our success, so we need to be getting back to that quickly.”

The lack of a win in the league means United are playing catch-up tomorrow against a side who go to the top of the table if they win.

If Killie’s bright start — two wins and a draw — has surprised the pundits, Kenneth has not been taken aback.

“They often seem to get overlooked, but they are never easy to play against and they usually play good football.

“They will be feeling confident coming here and it is up to us to be ready for them.”

For manager Craig Levein, the big decision is who plays up front.

Spaniard Francisco Sandaza is expected to remain on the bench until his fitness is up to scratch, leaving a choice between the pair that’s started the league games so far and the partnership that shared Tuesday’s five goals.

On-loan Warren Feeney and Roy O’Donovan have earned praise for their workrate, but John Daly’s hat-trick at Central Park and the brace David Goodwillie grabbed has strengthened their cases.

The pleasing aspect for their gaffer is that whoever plays knows they will have to perform.

“I’ve got five strikers in the squad who are all doing well and that’s a good situation to be in. Now that Daly and ‘Goodie’ have shown their hand, everyone knows they have to be making a contribution to stay in the team,” he said.

Those defeats, of course, pre-dated the Canadian international’s arrival and it’s another reversal that will be on his mind as he kicks off.

He is still hurting after the narrow Co-Op Cup loss to Partick Thistle on Tuesday and sees tomorrow as a welcome opportunity to get that tie out of the system.

“That’s the good thing about playing three games in a week — if you lose a game, you are right back into things and have an immediate chance to redeem yourself by winning the next one,” he said.

“I’ve heard about Queen of the South and been told it’s always a battle down there. It should be a tough match, but, so far, it has been good for us in the league and we want to keep going.

“It’s important not to get down on ourselves over Tuesday — this is a different competition and we just need to keep our minds right and move on.”

That said, Pozniak does not hide the fact the Jags loss was a sore one and admits it has taken a couple of days for the mood to pick up.

“The atmosphere now is better than it was on Tuesday after the game and it will be better tomorrow — hopefully, we can get on a high. I was disappointed with my own performance, but I’ve put it behind me.”

Having been here for almost a month, he feels his match sharpness is now up to scratch, but is still looking for an improvement overall.

“Fitness-wise I am getting there and I think I am fine now. It is just getting my head around playing with the rest of the team, and that will come.

“The team spirit here is a big thing. Even when we were down on Tuesday we were battling hard to get back and we did, but, unfortunately, we lost a second goal.”

He went on, “The only way we will win is through sheer hard work.”

Saints have suffered in their last two league matches, Dunfermline winning 3-0 at McDiarmid Park and Partick triumphing 4-0 at Firhill.

However, they performed a lot better in their 2-1 midweek Co-operative Insurance Cup extra-time loss against Livingston. “We were very unfortunate to lose that game and the fans recognised that,” said Derek.

“We must use the Livingston game as a platform on which to build. We’re at home, we enjoy playing there, and we’re looking to get back on track.”

Alan Morgan, who made his debut against Livingston, and Nick McKoy, who made his first Saints start against Livi, are in the squad to face Clyde. “Nick has a presence about him and Alan has settled in well,” said Derek.

Stuart McCaffrey is likely to continue at the heart of the Perth club’s defence. He’s been dogged by injuries since joining Saints in January, but is fit and ready to go. However, Kevin Rutkiewicz, Kevin James, Kevin Moon and Jody Morris are all still out.

Meanwhile, Dunfermline are sweating on the fitness of injured trio Greg Shields, Stephen Glass and Kevin Harper. Glass has a calf knock, while Shields and Harper have hamstring injuries.

Dunfermline are hoping to better their recent record against Livi. They lead the West Lothian side 9-7 on wins, but have won only three of the last 12 encounters.

In an effort to encourage more young fans, the Pars are allowing U/18s entry for £1. Tickets are on sale from the ticket office.